Collapsible tube closure



April 1952 R. L. JEFFERY COLLAPSIBLE TUBE CLOSURE Filed March 1, 1947 INVENTOR. RAYMOND L. JEFFEZY After-n eys Patented Apr. 15, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE COLLAPSIBLE TUBE CLOSURE Raymond L. Jeffery, Los Angeles, Calif.

Application March 1, 1947., Serial No. 731,845

9 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in combined openers and closures for containers such as collapsible tubes. It is desirable in many instances to market products in collapsible tubes, the necks of which have initially closed sealing webs that can be easily punctured at the time it is desired to open the tube but which, prior to the time of use, serve to hermetically seal the contents of the container.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a cap applicable to tubes of this character which, when applied to the tube, will automatically puncture the sealing web and slightly deform the neck of the tube in such a manner that it will effectively lock the cap onto the tube but permit of a slight axial movement of the cap relatively thereto. In this manner the cap when applied not only opens the tube but provides a closure for the opening formed which is permanently associated with the tube. When the cap is in applied position the contents of the tube can be easily expelled therefrom and when the desired portion has been forced through the cap, the cap may be returned to its closing position wherein it closes the puncture formed in the sealing web.

Another object of the invention is to provide a cap having the above mentioned characteristics that can be very easily and economically manufactured and which is so designed that it can be readily applied to the tube requiring no expert knowledge of the construction of the cap or manipulation in order to properly position it.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, which will be made manifest in the following detailed description and specifically pointed out in the appended claims, reference is had to the accompanying drawings for an illustrative embodiment of the invention, wherein:

Figure l is a sectional view through the upper portion of one type of collapsible tube and illustrating the cap embodying the present invention prior to its application thereto; I Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1 but illustrating the cap as having been applied to the tub to puncture the sealing web and to form a closure for the opened tube;

Fig. 3 is a similar view but illustrating the cap after it has been applied to the tube but shifted into open position wherein the contents of the tube may be expelled;

Fig. 4 is a top plan view of the cap illustrated in Fig. 1.; and

Figs. .5, 6, 7 and 3 are similar views to Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4, respectively, but illustrating a modified form embodying the invention.

Referring to the accompanying drawings wherein similar reference characters designate similar parts throughout, and particularly to that form of construction illustrated in Figs. 1 to 4,

} tion of the sealing web H.

C indicates the body of a collapsible tube having a neck H! which initially is closed by an integral web or sealing disc ll. One conventional form of web or sealing disc has the center portion elevated as illustrated and somewhat thickened as compared with its marginal edges. The cap embodying the present invention consists of a cap of any suitable material such as a synthetic resin plastic having a top l2 and side walls I3.

The side walls are so sized and shaped to enable the cap to closely telescope over the neck I0. In the center of the cap there is an outlet opening I4 the sides of which may or may not be complementary to the raised and thickened central por- On the under side of the cap there are downwardly projecting piercing or puncturing portions l5 arranged to puncture the thin portion of the web I! adjacent the walls of the neck. The outer sides of these puncturing portions are inclined outwardly and upwardly, as indicated at l6,.and are designed to engage the inner edge of the neck it! at the top thereof and to deform the top edge of theneck adjacent the punctures outwardly as indicated at Fig. 2. The sides l3 are internally recessed as indicated at I1, the bottoms of the recesses terminating somewhat above the bottoms of the sides 13 at shoulders IS. The axial or vertical lengths of these recesses I1 are somewhat greater than the thicknesses of the neck or the portions of the neck that are deformed outwardly by the piercing portions l5. Consequently, when the cap is forced onto the neck from the position shown in Fig. 1 to the position shown in Fig. 2, the piercing portions 15 not only puncture the web II to break the seal and open the collapsible tube, but they simultaneously deform portions of the neck in outwardly, such deformed portions being indicated at l9. The recesses I'I accommodate these outwardly deformed portions but as they only loosely occupy the recesses I! a limited vertical or axial movement of the cap with respect to the neck is permissible; compare Fig. 2 with Fig. 3. Consequently, whenever it is desired to remove some of the contents of the container 0 from the tube, the tube may be compressed to expel the contents by pressure. This pressure is effective on the under side of the cap to elevate it into the position shown in Fig. 3, permitting the contents to flow around the center portion of the web I l or through the punctures in the web and through the outlet l4. When the desired portion of the contents has been expelled, the cap may be forced downwardly or into the position shown in Fig. 2 wherein the puncturing portions l5 reenter the punctures formed thereby and effectively close the neck of the tube. In the construction illustrated in Figs. 1 to 4, the neck I0 is illustrated as being cylindrical in which case the cap has its side walls formed complementary thereto so as to closely telescope thereover. If the cap should be circumferentially displaced a return movement of the cap to proper position may be required in order to re-seat the puncturing portions IS in the openings formed thereby in the web H. The neck 10, however, may be made non-cylindrical in form, in which case the cap is shaped to conform thereto. If it is made of non-cylindrical form, rotary displacement of the cap relatively to the neck is impossible.

In the construction illustrated in Figs. 5 to 8. inclusive, a similar device is disclosed wherein the container C has a neck 20 initially closed by a puncturable sealing web 2|. The neck illustrated in these figures is rectangular in cross section and the web 2! may be thickened as at 22 near one of the end walls of the neck. The cap has side walls 23 shaped to closely telescope over the neck and a top 24 in which the outlet opening 25 is formed. On the under side of the cap there is a relatively large puncturing portion 26 designed to puncture the thin portion of the web 2|. This puncturing portion has an upwardly and outwardly inclined surface 21 facing toward an internal recess 28 the bottom of which is defined by the shoulder 29. Likewise in this form of construction, in order to open the container it is merely necessary to forcibly telescope the cap onto the neck and in so doing the web 2| will be punctured as illustrated in Fig. 6 and the inclined surface 21 will automatically deform the top edge of the neck 28 outwardly as indicated at 3B. This deformed portion enters the recess 28 above the shoulder 29 and serves to permanently lock the cap onto the neck but permitting the cap to have some relative movement, as illustrated in Fig. 7. On collapsing the tube the contents may be expelled through the passage 3| (see Fig. '7) and after the desired quantity has been removed the cap may be returned to its sealing or closing position shown in Fig. 6.

When the cap is shifted to closed position as illustrated in Fig. 6 the thickened portion of the web enters and fully occupies the outlet opening 25 thus expelling any of the material remaining in the outlet opening. As the top surface of the thickened portion of the web is approximately flush with the top surface of the cap any material remaining on the thickened portion can r be easily wiped off so that the closure may be kept clean and sanitary. The thickened portion in that form of construction illustrated in Figs.

1 to 3 likewise performs a similar function in the cap.

From the above described construction it will be appreciated that the cap may be easily and economically constructed and that it may be readily used by very unskilled persons. It is merely necessary to force the cap onto the neck and in so doing the tube will not only be opened but the cap will be automatically locked onto the neck for a limited movement relatively thereto enabling the cap to be shifted from opened to closed position, or vice versa.

Various changes may be made in the details of construction without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In combination, a container having a deformable neck initially closed by a transverse puncturable web, a cap adapted to be telescopically applied to the neck, said cap having an outlet therein, puncturing means on the under side of the cap between the outlet and side walls thereof arranged to puncture the web and deform a portion of the neck outwardly, and there being an internal recess and shoulder on a side Wall of the cap adjacent the puncturing means to accommodate the outwardly deformed portion whereby the cap will be locked on the neck thereby and permitted a limited axial movement relatively thereto.

2. In combination, a container having a de-' formable neck initially closed by a transverse puncturable web, a cap telescopically receivable by the neck, said cap having an outlet therein, puncturing means carried by the cap and facing downwardly to puncture the web when the cap is applied to the neck, neck deforming means carried by the cap and being disposed at least partially in vertical alignment with the neck for deforming a portion of the neck outwardly, and said cap being recessed to receive the outwardly deformed portion of the neck and providing a stop engageable with the deformed portion of the neck to prevent removal of the cap from the neck.

3. In combination, a container having a deformable neck initially closed by a transverse puncturable web, a cap telescopically receivable by the neck, said cap having an outlet therein, puncturing means carried by the cap and facing downwardly to puncture the web when the cap is applied to the neck, neck deforming means carried by the cap for deforming a portion of the neck outwardly when the cap is applied to the neck, and said cap being recessed to receive the outwardly deformed portion of the neck and providing a stop outside of the neck engageable with the deformed portion of the neck to prevent removal of the cap from the neck.

4. In combination, a container having a deformable neck initially closed by a transverse puncturable web, a cap telescopically receivable by the neck, said cap having an outlet therein, puncturing means carried by the cap and facing downwardly to puncture the web when the cap is applied to the neck, neck deforming means carried by the cap and being disposed at least partially in vertical alignment with the neck for deforming a portion of the neck outwardly, and said cap being recessed to receive the outwardly deformed portion of the neck and providing a stop located outside the neck and spaced from the deformed portion of the neck when the cap is on the neck to its full limit to prevent removal of the cap from the neck yet allowing limited axial movement of the cap with respect to the neck.

5. In combination, a container having a deformable neck, a cap telescopically receivable by the neck, said cap having an outlet therein, neck deforming means carried by the cap for deforming a portion of the neck outwardly when the cap is applied to the neck, and a stop provided by the cap and located outside the neck for engaging the deformed portion of the neck to prevent removal of the cap from the neck.

6. In combination, a container having a deformable neck, a cap telescopically receivable by the neck, said cap having an outlet therein, and neck deforming means carried by the cap for deforming a portion of the neck outwardly when the cap is applied to the neck, and means on the cap cooperating with the deformed portion for preventing removal of the cap from the neck.

7. In combination, a container having a deformable neck, a cap telescopically receivable by the neck, said cap having an outlet therein, and neck deforming means carried by the cap and disposed in partial vertical alignment with the neck for deforming a portion of the neck outwardly when the cap is applied to the neck, and said cap being recessed to receive the outwardly deformed portion of the neck and providing a stop engageable with the deformed portion of the neck to prevent removal of the capfrom the neck.

8. In combination, a container having a, deformable neck, a cap telescopically receivable by the neck, said cap having an outlet therein, neck deforming means carried by the cap for deforming a portion of the neck outwardly when the cap is applied to the neck, and said cap being recessed to receive the outwardly deformed portion of the neck and providing a stop spaced from the deformed portion of the neck when the cap is on the neck to its full limit to prevent removal of the cap from the neck yet allowing limited axial movement of the cap with respect to the neck.

9. In combination, a container having a deformable neck, a cap telescopically receivable by the neck, said cap having an outlet thereimneck deforming means carried by the cap and being disposed at least partly in vertical alignment with 6 the neck for deforming a portion of the neck outwardly, and said cap being recessed to receive the outwardly deformed portion of the neck and providing a stop spaced from the deformed portion of the neck when the cap is on the neck to its full limit to prevent removal of the cap from the neck yet allowing limited axial movement of the cap with respect to the neck.

RAYMOND L. JEFFERY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date Re. 20,374 Racine et al May 18, 1937 943,234 Brooks Dec. 14, 1909 1,475,988 Dieu Dec. 4, 1923 1,710,239 Paulson Apr. 23, 1929 1,865,484 Roos July 5, 1932 1,913,807 Jones June 13, 1933 1,925,466 Simpson Sept, 5, 1933 2,018,485 Clark Oct. 22, 1935 2,035,004 Van Ness Mar. 24, 1936 2,073,292 Waite et al Mar. 9, 1937 2,122,534 Nickels et a1. July 5, 1938' 

